Child abuse increases the descent of dissociative behaviors and adverse childhood experience which increase an individual engagement in violent behaviors. Dissociation manners result in the disruption of normal functions including perception identity, motor control, perception identity, and consciousness, and is regarded as a risk factor in the progress of violent or aggressive behaviors (Altintas and Bilici 03). On the other hand, traumatic experiences increase the growth of dissociative symptoms, for example, parental separation or divorce, low income, family dysfunction, incarceration of family members, and substance abuse. For example, the study by Altintas and Bilici observed that earlyhood trauma from sexual abuse victims and engagement in violent crimes was extremely high among female inmates while a criminal background encompassing aspects such as substance use, frequent convictions, and childhood traumatization events were more common among male inmates (03). The above outcomes may be explained by general strain theory, an individual and socio-psychological theory explaining the association between crime and delinquency. At the center of the general strain theory is the belief that negative relationships with other people and negative experiences result in a strain in an individual which must be managed (Asscher et al. 25). Three sources of strains were identified including failure to achieve positively valued goals, the threat or removal of valid stimuli that the a
ctor possessed, and the presentation of a negatively valued stimulus such as abuse (Asscher et al. 25). Child abuse results in a strain of negative stimuli such as frustration, anger, depression, and resentment which ultimately results in violent behavior especially when no corrective action is taken to alleviate the displeasure in unfavorable emotions (Asscher et al. 25). The general strain theory also indicates that males and females respond differently to child abuse as revealed by the findings of Altintas and Bilici.
Child abuse results in trauma which significantly impairs the psychological and biological aspects with violence being used as a stimulus to deal with internal feelings. The study by Fox et al. revealed that children who were jailed as serious violent and chronic offenders had adverse childhood experiences and were most likely exposed to numerous traumatic events including having a jailed parent, physical and emotional abuse, household mental illness, and substance abuse as well as witnessing falling of household violence (68). These practices significantly affected their biological and psychological development. Similarly, adolescent girls who report more severe histories of childhood emotional abuse engage in significantly higher frequencies of aggressive manners than those with lower levels of emotional abuse (Auslander et al. 356). The link between aggressive actions and childhood experiences was mediated by both PTSD and depression (Auslander et al. 356)